Touched by a Demon
by Amitsukirei
Summary: In Novus Terra, one accepts a partner opposite of their sign and race, as many believe it will keep the strained human/demon alliance intact. Yet, when complete opposites are paired, sometimes something sparks bright. OCXOC, T to be safe, Yaoi
1. Partnership

Novus Terra was far older than all new; it had seen many more millenniums then the overall population realized. It was one of the elder brothers when it came to the other planets in its galaxy. The year was 10110, and it was the time of the various species of the land, humans, demons, and all sorts of creatures. It was the age of Halflings, the age of so much mixed blood and genetics that the color of one's skin meant nothing anymore. The only thing that mattered for classification purposes, whatsoever, was the birthmark one bore on their back. Perhaps a man was half-demon with a natural tattoo of a crescent moon on his backside, or maybe a woman was a pure human with a sun on her back- people were classified and assigned accordingly by whether you were kin to the sun, or kin to the moon. One's entire life was settled on a strange ancient symbol that hugged the skin of their back.

Mutel Murtsa was a human son, a descendent of a very pure pedigree. Born under the waning gibbous, he was blessed with a crescent moon just like all of his other ancestors and his handsome features showed his nightfall nature. Endowed with grey hair and a pair of glowing silver eyes, Mutel was the spitting image of his attractive father. On the other hand, he also resembled his great-grandfather on his mother's side, greatly- obtaining his stern default expression from the deceased elder. It was because of this that, as everyone always told him, he was given no middle name. It was too difficult to take only one of the names, and no one dared put two together because that was just a rule that had always been there. Mutel didn't care, anyway. He rarely cared about anything. As if he ever had.

Being just one individual in an enormous vast world, he followed a rather usual schedule set up by people's expectations of him. In the morning, he woke up much earlier than most others in order to practice the art of sword fighting. After two hours of practice, and thirty minutes of a silent family breakfast, Mutel left home in order to go to school, which he arrived fifteen minutes before the bell rang, every single time. Later, even after school let out at four, the quiet teenager stayed after for two hours, resting himself in the library- even though he had already read all of the books. When those two hours were up and the librarian thought it was time to lock up, he'd return home with tons of homework and books waiting to be reread. The work never took him too much time, as he had always been so intellectual, and, after he ate dinner, his family long before decided he should learn to play at least one instrument. Following his one hour lessons, he returned to his bedroom at about ten, did his all his homework in thirty minutes, and went to bed, not really caring. As if he ever had.

Yet the next day would be fairly different.

"Do you know what today is?" asked his father, disturbing the settled silence of breakfast, his tone quite staid and strong. Of course Mutel did. He always knew what was going on in a week, his vibrant memory allowed that. Nonetheless, his eyes met his father's, a way of telling him to go on. "It has been sixteen years since your mother brought you into this world as a Murtsa. Sixteen years and you have grown just as a human of the moon should. As you know, the humans and demons have forged and kindled a friendship that has lasted many centuries. Knowing this, you should realize how precious the relationship is, and why our lands do things the way they are. Mutel, you know what is today, correct?"

"Today is the day I get my demon partner," Mutel answered calmly, "Just like the day you got Indigo." His father stared at him for a moment, and then dipped his head, satisfied. Mutel's talk of his father's demon was no example, but rather acknowledgement. One was a fool to not know of Indigo the water wolf spirit, or to respect her greatly. After all, Indigo and Mutel's father were one of the best known partnerships of all time. When Mutel's mother and Indigo gave birth on the same day to a fine son and daughter, all expected the two to be destined together as partners. To commemorate the not so finalized pairing, Indigo the water she-wolf and Mutel's family had a massive party planned for after the ceremony. However, that was absolutely not the case- destiny had a very different plan in store for Mutel.

Surprisingly, the day went by very fast, even for Mutel who rarely noticed anything. That was most likely because school was cut short due to the coming-of-age ritual. Still, school hadn't been completely annihilated, and Mutel found himself sitting in his window seat as usual, gazing out at the once empty grass plain beside the school. Replacing the field's openness was a stage and many chairs. Of course, graduation was in a few days for the students one year ahead of Mutel, but that wasn't making everyone so antsy.

"Oh, I can't help but feel nervous about my demon partner!!!" confessed a girl who chatted with her friends as the teacher had given them free time since they wouldn't listen. Not most of them, anyway. "I was born under the sun, so I must be getting a boy born under the moon, right? I hope he's nice, and not an eyesore..."

"I hope mine's a fighting demon, that way we can spare!" cheered a boy, cracking his knuckles, "But since I was born under the sun, I'll probably get someone dark and mysterious..." Truthfully, most humans _were_ born under the sign of the sun. It was only the few exceptional families like the Murtsa family that were gifted with the crescent moon mark. That was why his family was treated like nobles, as well, most likely. "I'm jealous of you, Mutel!!!"

"Jealous...?" Mutel paused quietly, his mind dissecting the word to its core. He seriously hadn't even given his demon a thought. Although, now that he heard all the birds around him chattering about it, he gave it maybe a tenth of his attention. _A sun demon,_ he thought with an empty expression, _I really will get Cerulean as my partner_. Yet, he never gave Indigo's daughter a thought before, so why should he care now? Since fate was obviously deciding everything for him, he had no need to think about his partner. He'd have Cerulean, the cheerful she-wolf. As most demons were born under the moon, the Jettail family was one of the few who were born under the sun, just like the Murtsa bloodline to the moon. Everything was truly already decided.

That was why, when school let out, and the festival raged in the courtyard, Mutel got to his feet when they called Cerulean's name, and the she-wolf came forth from the large pack of demons on the left side of the field. Nobody said anything; everyone pretty much knew it would happen. Glancing to his left, he caught her bright yellow eyes for a moment before beginning to the stage. However, in a mere three seconds, his entire fate had been altered, as if the hand of providence slammed a fist down between him and his pre-chosen path. After Cerulean reached the stage and stood tall proudly, Mutel reached the steps of the stage just as a single old man's voice destroyed his fate.

"Ammalf Sutepmi, please rise forth to the stage and accept your document of partnership," announced one of the elders, his voice held compact while speaking of such an important matter. All in all, the crowd exploded into one huge gasp, while the Murtsa and Jettail family went up in arms. There was a loud roar, hissing, and much cursing coming from the two major families up front. Even Mutel was stunned, and he looked to his father's face for some sign but only saw the man seeing red at the stage. Had fate really been broken? Had his entire life been revamped by a single _name_? Ammalf Sutepmi slowly rose, a boy Mutel's age with a rather dark complexion. Mutel didn't know him much- his parents told him to stay away from the Sutepmi family. The distant boy paused, not so trustful of the two great families up front. "Ammalf Sutepmi, _please get up on the stage_." Still, if it came down to the elders and the major families, Ammalf was more afraid of the elders, like many others. Slowly heading for the stage, hiding his trembling with every step, he looked extremely kept together as he took the document, scanning the faces up front gingerly. Just as awkward as he had got on the stage, though, Ammalf stepped off with Cerulean of all people at his side. Luckily for him, Cerulean was a kind demon, and pat him on the back. It's probably a mistake; Mutel saw the demon mouthing.

"Now..." The other elder sat down as another one rose with another slip of paper. "Sunrisk Glowertail, a demon of the sky, please come onto the stage." Mutel still couldn't believe that the elders could defeat fate, and his surprised aura showed it. His eyes traced over the demon crowd, as if something told him the elders were not done changing the cosmic order. From the crowd emerged a somewhat short yet slim figure. As the figure climbed onto the stage, her features became much more apparent.

Sunrisk had long, flowing red hair much like the color of a young phoenix. She wasn't quite as short as Mutel had first thought her to be, but she was just about the same height as the elders, and still a tad bit tiny compared to most others. Unlike his fixed expression, hers constantly seemed to change, from slightly nervous, to calm, and then nervous again as if she was trying to conceal it. Perhaps she was- sky demons had the most recognition of all demons. Taking her copy of the document, Sunrisk waited patiently and, as if the elder already said it, she stole a glimpse at Mutel with her soft amber eyes. His mouth slightly fell ajar- especially since the elder called his name next.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Mutel Murtsa," spoke Sunrisk as Mutel cautiously rose on the stage, "I hope we can become very good partners." Mutel was bewildered by the entire event, and he could barely hear himself think. There was one thing, for sure, that was stuck in the back of his mind. Never think fate has already been decided for you, and the elders truly are from out of this world.

"This is an outrage!!!" yelled his usually calm and collected father as the families- both the Murtsas and the Jettails- reached the Murtsa household. "What do the elders think they're doing!?! Cerulean and Mutel were supposed to... ARGH!" Snatching up a nearby flower vase, the prideful man sent it rocketing across the room and straight into the opposing wall. Indigo shouted almost the exact same things, her roar much louder than his, though. Meanwhile, Mutel and Cerulean sat down in the living room, both entirely confused.

"I don't get it," said Cerulean, as soft spoken as always, "Aren't we supposed to be partners? Like my mom and your dad... Did the elders make a mistake? Our parents will continue to be outraged unless they assign us together... A huge mess, don't you think?"

"I think my entire life has been altered," Mutel replied with such a straight face, that Cerulean's eyes widen, "Could a few humans and demons truly alter a set path of destiny?" For Mutel, it was like someone dropped a bomb on his soul. He was one of the most fit, smartest humans with such a tight set life that nothing could change it. At least, that's what he always believed. He never cared for anything, nothing at all, and suddenly, he cared so much. But why? Was he so imprinted by a lie his whole life? Was his path not truly set, and able to be reconfigured at any given moment? Was everything up to chance? Or to the elders? It was almost like a mind-crashing revelation for him.

"D-Darling, Indigo, please don't fret too much, it was probably a mistake or..." He was so distant he barely heard his mother's voice. "L-Look at the children, they're just as surprised." _No kidding _was something along the lines of what Mutel thought. He had just learned his parents controlled nothing of his future- nothing at all.

"But it's against _the_ law! The law MADE by the elders! BOYS AREN'T PAIRED WITH BOYS!"

--

Author: What'd you think? Ok? Good? Bad? It's just the introduction chapter so... Anyway, please tell me what you think! This is my first time writing a yaoi story so um... I'm relying on you guys to help me out, eep!


	2. Sunrisk's Question

Author: Alright, next chapter! What do you think so far, though? If everyone thinks it sucks I'll probably delete it... Anyway! Here's the next chapter, enjoy yourself!

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Documented. Everything in their world was- everything they knew, and so much more. Just like major history and other events of importance, the great elders also recorded the day that a human and demon formed a partnership... But why was it really that important? Just to keep the mutual feelings of peace between the two very developed races? Not that it mattered, the thought of it all, but it still had Mutel wondering about it every now and then... When he felt like thinking about other things, that is.

The boy of silver complexion was still pondering about yesterday's events- Thursday's partnership episode. He really wasn't paired up with Cerulean the water wolf. Instead, in her place, the elders had matched him up with Sunrisk, the sky demon of blazing eyes. Speaking of whom, Mutel still had trouble believing that such a person of such physique turned out to be a _man_. That day, while he sat in the classroom reading a book he had read five times already, his eyes drifted away from it when the door slid open. In the doorway, there stood Sunrisk Glowertail, and, sure enough, she- er, HE was wearing a boy's uniform consisting of a white shirt, black slacks, and a matching shark eye tie tethered neatly around his neck.

At least Mutel was in block A, as everyone called it. Being in the first group of people his age, he was still hanging around in the human lands while block B left early that morning to go to the Land of the Demons. The partnership system had always worked like that, and, when two semesters of school were over, he'd find himself packing up to leave, just like block B. To him, however, it was just another day. He still didn't care, or, at any rate, not that much.

"Mutel Murtsa!" exclaimed Sunrisk in a rather soft-toned voice, only adding to his girly looks, "the first day of school in the human world, and the first day I spend with my partner. I know I said it last night but... Pleased to meetcha, Mutel!"

"..." Mutel gazed at him quietly, still confused by it all, "I'm pleased to be acquainted, as well, Glowertail."

"Sunrisk!" scowled his new partner, "We're partners now, so you can call me Sunrisk! And I'll call you Mutel... A-anyway, now that _that's_ clarified... I'd like to ask you a few questions, Mutel! To get to know you, I mean. After all, since we're partners, we have to know each other very well." The boy took out a hair tie as he sat down in the seat ahead of Mutel, backwards. Gathering his hair up, he pulled it into a ponytail and revealed rather pointed ears, as all demons had. He crossed his arms and flashed a toothy grin, "First question! What's your favorite color?"

"..." Mutel still stared at him, with his usual I-don't-care kind of look. Finally, his mouth parted as he spoke quietly but quite steadily, "I have no preference."

"Mmm... Ok, so you don't like one better than another? Gotcha, I won't forget," beamed Sunrisk, his wide smile showed off two pearly white fangs, "Ok then, since you answered honestly, I'll tell you my favorite colo-"

"Let me guess," Mutel set down his book, unable to read when, from the tip of his eyes; he saw a blazing orange, "Red." His quick correct answer made Sunrisk's amber eyes flicker in awe. As he opened his mouth to say something else, Mutel continued, "I have no preference on food. Most likely, you love steak cooked... Rare. I have no preference for hobbies, either. You probably enjoy almost anything active. Als-"

"O-Ok! Stop reading my mind- It's creepy!" Sunrisk waved his arms rapidly, and his elf-like ears bloomed a deep red like blood. His eyes grew wide as he whistled, "Man, my new partner is a physic. But, hey, I wanna check to see if you're really physic so... What am I thinking no-"

"About if I'll guess what you're thinking," Mutel said without hesitation. Once again, Sunrisk whistled in satisfaction but Mutel just shook his head, "It's not being a physic. The most popular questions people ask when they first meet are color, food, and hobby. Everything is just based on statistics... Or so I've read," proceeded Mutel, holding up his book. A lot of people and demons of block A were in the classroom, and a good portion of them stared at him for a few moments. Finally, one of the girls said something along the lines of 'that's our Murtsa' or something like that. Meanwhile, Sunrisk's face boiled red in defeat, but he suddenly slammed his hands on the table.

"Alright Mr. Statistics! I accept this challenge!" growled Sunrisk, "By the end of today, I'll find a question you CAN'T answer! If you can't answer it, you have to... Uh... You have to buy me a complete bag of human food, yeah! B-But, if you answer it, then... Um... You can decide something so... IT'S ON! Or... something like that... Prepare yourself, partner!!!" With a huff, Sunrisk whipped around in his seat, obviously claiming it as his own while he began thinking as hard as his limited mind capacity could. Mutel watched the back of his head for a bit, and examined how red his ears were getting as he thought. Picking up his book, he peacefully taunted, "Don't kill yourself thinking." And Sunrisk nearly exploded in the desk ahead.

The day went by painlessly and rather plainly, which astounded Mutel. In fact, it went by almost like any other day, except he now had a female- er, male demon tagging along behind him who gawked in awe at almost anything. After his six classes ended with the usual chime that came from the intercom system, Mutel simply collected his stuff, and left for the library, as he always had. It was when he was reading a book on the ancient languages that the library door nearly burst open from brutal force and Sunrisk, face radiating as red as the noon sun, bolted over to him-

"_You didn't WAIT for me_!!!" Sunrisk screeched, "I was completely lost around the school and was wandering for a whole hour while you...! You...! PHEW! That was tiring..." Crashing down in the seat opposing Mutel, he caught his breath before ranting on, "While you were reading quietly here in the stupid library! I FINALLY found out where you were asking people, and I had to talk to even MORE just to navigate through this HUGE place! DEMON SCHOOLS ARE SO SMALL; WHY THE HECK DO HUMANS BUILD SUCH LARGE CONFUSING BUILDINGS!!!" Sunrisk threw his arms up in the air dramatically, and then smacked them down on the table. When Mutel didn't react let alone flinch, Sunrisk went on, "And I finally chose my question! Mutel Murtsa, prepare to be defeated!"

"... And the question is?" Mutel turned a page in his book, not even phased that Sunrisk spent an entire day making up his question.

"Alright! Here it is... What is the name of the city I'm from?" smirked Sunrisk, believing his question to be quite the formidable one. Mutel said nothing for a few moments, but, then, he simply responded, "You are from the city of _Burning Clouds_." And he was correct. It was palpable not only because he remembered it quite well from his various books, but because Sunrisk went even redder before smacking his head on the table. Mutel almost found it humorous; Sunrisk had been given a whole day and he came up with such a simple question with an easy answer. **All** sky demons were from the city of Burning Clouds and the surrounding area. Mutel was about to turn the page when he heard Sunrisk let out a long sigh and mumbled something rather sadly. He was a proud sky demon, and he lost to his partner on the first day.

"You really fall short at being a sky demon, you know?" Mutel ridiculed with his usual calm voice while packing up. His insult brought a flare back into the demon's eyes, and the boy looked up with a lowered brow. Mutel never cared for anything, he never ever had. Yet, Sunrisk was his partner, and, for the sake of not upsetting his family any more than they were, Mutel tapped the demon on the head with his book as he passed and instructed, "Follow me." Sunrisk feared the worst, since Mutel still hadn't set his own part of the deal, but, nonetheless, he trailed behind obediently like a faithful dog after its master.

Frankly, Sunrisk had no idea who Mutel Murtsa really was. At home, in the city of Burning Clouds, he often heard his father and mother- by essence- speak of the southern water wolves and a well-known human family known by the surname Murtsa. Truthfully, he had always been fascinated how the two families just seemed to _know_ that their offspring would be paired by the eternal partnership between a demon and a human. All Sunrisk really knew was that the stars would decide one's fate, not a human, demon, or even an elder. His whole life, Sunrisk was guided by the stars, and, since they had treated him well, he continued to put his faith in them. The stars would decide to put Cerulean the gentle water wolf and Mutel the heir of the Murtsas together, if they wanted. Now, he was starting to wonder if maybe all his thoughts had gotten to the stars. Just one day before the ceremony, Sunrisk wished that he could be paired with someone as recognized as Mutel of the Murtsas. Perhaps the stars were truly looking out for him, since he was their son, anyway. However, Sunrisk was slightly regretting his wish on that afternoon, or, in any case, he _had_ been.

"Seriously!?!" Sunrisk almost flipped over himself when Mutel led him to a grocery store, and said he had a limit of spending ten niks- the human realm's currency. "So I can buy anything and any amount as long as it stays under ten niks!?!"

"..." Mutel dipped his head, and headed over to the back of the small store where cold foods were located. He may have never cared about anything, but he was still humane enough to understand why Sunrisk wanted to try human food- it was obviously his first time in the human lands. Also, Sunrisk _was_ his partner. He might as well get used to it.

"Oh my stars!!!" squeaked Sunrisk, morphing into a kid in a candy store. As if his entire body were energized beyond capacity, he was rushing around all sides of the store, comparing tons of things, and slowly picking out a few he really wanted. Mutel, merely choosing a bottle of milk, was already at the front of the store, waiting for Sunrisk who had only picked out one thing, so far. Noticing this, Sunrisk swiftly rushed back to the right side of the store where a bag of chips hung on the top shelf. The next part amused Mutel, and reminded Sunrisk of his shortness. "O-Oh shut up!" hissed Sunrisk at Mutel who hadn't said a word or done a thing.

"I didn't say anything," He loosely defended as he walked over. Standing behind Sunrisk, he reached out an arm, over the demon's right shoulder, to get the chips. Sunrisk went a little red from embarrassment, and shame of his height. "Here," he said while offering them to the sky demon, and he would've expressed thanks to his partner if it weren't for his next remark, "Shorty."

"..." Sunrisk's cheeks puffed up with hot air as he seized the treat from Mutel, still red as his shame was replaced with mixed anger, "That's NOT my name... And you were thinking it!" Then, they stood there for a few moments before Mutel shook his head and went to the cash register, Sunrisk only going along to get his own things.

Without any other sojourns on the way home, the two finally came upon the Murtsa household thirty minutes later than Mutel's usual time. Sunrisk never thought of this, and Mutel could care less. However, his mother thought differently, and expressed her opinion verbally as Mutel entered the door, "Mutel, dear, you're later than usual..." and her eyes of secret suspicion fell upon the red head sky demon.

"I stopped to get groceries," Mutel clarified as he took the bag from Sunrisk quickly and put it on the kitchen table, carefully grabbing a few of the snacks for Sunrisk who had already made a noise of disagreement. Placing a hand on the demon's back, he hurried himself and Sunrisk up the stairs towards his bedroom, not trusting his mother's eyes. Sure, he had been later, but who ever told him what time was acceptable to come home by? No one, so, he didn't care.

"W-What was that for!" barked Sunrisk, discontent as predicted, "I thought you bought those f-"

"Sshh..." Mutel hushed him, and leaned against the door, listening for signs of life on the other side. Satisfied with a calming silence, he pulled the snacks he nabbed from his pocket and tossed them on his bed. "My mother isn't very happy about me arriving late. Under the circumstances, they'll be ready to blame you at any moment in hopes of making the elders reassign who's my partner, and who's not," explained Mutel, setting his backpack down on a pale pine desk before sitting down and unpacking his schoolwork.

"They seem like a bunch of sticklers," grumbled Sunrisk as he plopped on the bed and ripped open the first bag of treats, "O-Oh, no offense meant, or anything. I just meant, well, I meant what I said but... ARGH! Talking is such a chore..." Sunrisk ended his words with a sigh as he laid back on the bed. "I don't mean to say anything rude. My parents often tell me my mouth doesn't quite compare to my heart."

"None taken," stated Mutel, and none was. _Mutel didn't really care_, remember? Soon, the entire room filled with an atmosphere close to that of a funeral, and the only sounds were Sunrisk's munching and Mutel's pencil as it dashed across the homework pages. At that moment, Sunrisk silently declared himself to get revenge, and he began slowly, inaudibly towards Mutel with a 'boo' ready to be fired. He fell dead in his tracks when Mutel caught him, "Please don't disturb me while I'm working."

"Aww, you're no fuunnn," whined Sunrisk, and his arms lowered upon discovery. Leaning over his partner, he examined the homework in disdain, "And you're doing your homework so early... It's like a sleep-over, we should watch a movie with popcorn, or tell scary ghost stories of some old house of some old hill! You know... like... The night of the undead rabid rabbits!!! Or... Or we can build a tent using the bed sheets or...!" The funny thing was, Sunrisk was pretty serious. _Since when do people do those things?_ Thought Mutel as he pondered the events of his childhood. He had always spent his free time practicing with a blade or playing the piano in the room below. Were such things demon children customs? He had heard of sleep-over while overhearing kids in class, but... "Or we can just sit here, do our homework, and pass time like we have no lives whatsoever."

"..." Mutel was already on his last equation, so finishing his work wasn't any problem but... He really didn't understand. Then, he thought of the partnership ritual and how it had gone so askew from the original plans. Maybe this is why the elders paired him with Sunrisk. Maybe...? "Fine," he agreed softly, still confused. It was only a split second later when Sunrisk exploded into a loud cracking display of fireworks:

"WOOHOO! I only have one question!!!"

"What?"

"Where am _**I**_ gonna sleep!?"

--

Author: Done! Good, bad, ok? I know I ask so much, but I'm just wondering. You don't have to review every chapter, by the way, but every other or so I'd love to read what your readers think! Are my characters a little cliqued? If so, sorry! I'm still developing them actually... (Completely just thought of this story in one day, ha!)


	3. Paladin's Dark Side

Author: The third chapter to Touched by a Demon!!! What'd you think of the second? Anyway, down to business! (Or, pre-business in this case) Would you guys like to see artwork of the two main characters? I can draw fairly well so I'm up to it, but it's if you guys want it so... Ok! That's all I wanted to say. Now, please enjoy this new chapter!

P.S. It's rather shorter than the others, but it's definitely got its good points :)

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People with enough intelligence were poison to the world, just as the complete idiots were. It seemed, no matter how anyone looked at it, with advancing technology; the world of Novus Terra would suffer inevitably as tall shining buildings rose from the plowed land and dirt of the human cities. Of course, demons also had their own ways of killing the land; whether it be sucking the spiritual life was the environment, or the unsettling demons who migrated from time to time to areas of new lush growth. The signs of the dying world were invisible to most, and, therefore, nobody bothered with their busy schedules. As long as there were those of greed, and weak hearts, then the world would continue to plummet.

The sky was extremely blue that day, though, showing no consequences of the tainted. Unblocked by any clouds, the sun glared at the land with a watchful eye, almost warning the people with its hot rays. However, there was quite the gentle breeze bouncing along the sky, and it just seemed like one of those perfect days where one much wished to be outside instead of their office. Unless, evidently, you were one of those people who was making hundreds of niks by the second, and planning on purchasing that new plot of land near the untouched river. A never-ending plague, but none noticed it, and they wouldn't before it was too late.

"Y-You're so mean!!!" exclaimed Sunrisk with a quivering brow, "Mister Mulam called on me every other question!!! I-I couldn't even answer beca-"

"Because you didn't complete your homework before horsing around," finished Mutel, glancing over his crimson-covered book with his dusk grey eyes. Before Sunrisk could protest, Mutel also added, "Maybe tonight you should do your homework as soon as you get home before rushing outside and wanting to play hide-and-seek with the old couple next door. Or, just maybe, you should do your homework when you're complaining on my bed that you're bored. With all that spare time, you're bound to finish at least a few problems." His partner's brow lowered at this, but Sunrisk said nothing more, unable to argue with the hard cold facts. Ok, so maybe he _did_ spend a lot of time doing fun things, but why not!?!

"..." He looked back at Mutel with narrowed eyes, and a scrunched face. "_Up yours_, old man," growled Sunrisk, sitting sideways in his seat. When he got not the slightest reaction from Mutel, he grew even more irritated and words just seemed to flow like poison dripping from his tongue. He shrugged with a smirk, "I guess I finally know why the Murtsa bloodline has silver hair- they're all just old men who'll lose it by the time they're twenty-five. Tch, it explains why this guy is just a _crabby nut case_, he's going senile! HA! I bet the family spends thousands of bucks on stupid hair products, what a waste of niks! I me-"

"Good-bye," Mutel interrupted with his one-of-a-kind voice that he always used. Slinging his backpack over one shoulder, he began towards the door, and Sunrisk pretended not to care. The demon crossed his arms and puffed a little air of attitude as he acted as if he didn't care. It was when Mutel shut the door that Sunrisk depressingly knew that his stupid pride wasn't as big as his fear of getting lost in the massive building and he dashed out yelling, "W-Wait for me! Wait for me!" And he slammed smack dab into Mutel's backside.

"..." Mutel said nothing as his stuff poured out on the floor, but after all the papers had stopped fluttering in the windless air; he bent down and began collecting everything up. Sunrisk smacked his forehead, and released a huge sigh before he too started gathering the disarrayed belongings. It was almost in that instance where they both reached for the crimson book Mutel had been reading earlier. Their hands didn't touch, no, but as they both grabbed opposing ends of the book, there was almost a pulse in their bodies telling them it was some sort of challenge. Mutel's brow rose, but his mouth remained expressionless. A twisted grin formed on Sunrisk's face, and his mischievous calling was definitely screaming for him.

"What do you think... If I... SEE Y-" Sunrisk was cackling as he broke into a dash with the book, but he was almost immediately countered with a light kick to the back of his knees. As he began toppling down, Mutel pushed him to the lockers to their right, holding Sunrisk in quite the death grip, with his arm wrapped around his neck. **Book**, whispered Mutel in an almost sinister manner, _**Now**_. At that precise moment, the hair on the back of Sunrisk's neck rose, not to mention that his stomach also clenched and he when he swallowed, he felt a knot in his throat. _So_, he thought with a weak smile as he released the book from his left hand, _this is the hidden nature of Mutel Murtsa. _Perhaps he wasn't the real demon in this partnership, after all. Yet, when Sunrisk faced Mutel, the dark aura had completely disappeared and he was already walking off towards the stairwell. Sunrisk, with a smile, strode right after him, amused by Mutel's secret limit. Maybe his new partner wasn't as boring as he thought he was!

"Um… We're not going to the library?" asked Sunrisk while they left the school premises and began down the gray sidewalk in the direction of the Murtsa Manor. Mutel only responded in a simple shake of his head, and Sunrisk sighed. He was already back to his quiet, dull self with his lack of energy. It was actually annoying, to Sunrisk, but he hid the irritation as he inquired, "So where are we going? Back home?"

"Yes," Mutel nodded this time, and Sunrisk was about to cringe when he went on, "My father wants me home for a sparring match. He does this every so often to check on my handling of a sword. Although... He does see me practice every morning..."

"So _that's_ why you always get up so early, dang!" commented Sunrisk as he stretched his arms behind his back, "I was always wondering about how you disappeared... So the Murtsa really are that kind of family."

"A bunch of crabby old men?" Mutel asked, recalling Sunrisk's words just that morning while they relaxed in the classroom after lunch. Sunrisk grew flustered, and was starting to realize just how stupid and immature he acted sometimes. Having learned all sorts of manners from his parents, he sighed, and tugged on Mutel's sleeve. When the unusual teen stopped in his tracks and turned to face him, he was about to apologize when Mutel slightly smiled, "I'm surprised you can reach my sleeve."

"W-What!?!" Sunrisk's jaw dropped so far it would've hit the floor, "J-Jerk!!! And I was about to say I'm sorry for calling you a boring old man but NOOO! You get no apology you... You...! Moron!!!" His insults were so weak that Mutel had to hold back a chuckle. It was also always funny when his demon partner grew as red as the pit of a cherry all over. Even feeling a slight tension in the air, he began strolling again with his hands in his pockets.

"Apologies aren't as fun," admitted Mutel. Sunrisk cooled down quite fast from his weird words and his lips beginning to curve, "Because that's what everyone always does... The same thing that is so often..." continued the human with his smile fading, "just isn't as inspiring... Don't you think?"

"..." Sunrisk folded his arms, still absorbing the words like a sponge, a very weak one that was already releasing the water, "You know what? I think you're a real piece of work, partner." Truth be told, Sunrisk was a little caught off guard by Mutel's pensive stance, and his smile just before that. The sky demon ran a hand through his thick flame-red hair and smiled. He was finally starting to make some progress with his difficult partner. Maybe the silver hair teenager really wasn't as bad as he thought. "Hey, uh, Mutel?"

"Yes?"

"Can you help me do my homework? Not that I'll copy or anything but..." Sunrisk shrugged while his eyes drifted to the passing vehicles. "Human work is so much different from what I've learned. The math is ok, but the English work and literature is... Let's just say I barely know of the books. Anyway, I give you permission to stop me if I start getting on topic, or I start zoning out..." But the sky demon didn't know that Mutel did have a slight twisted sense of humor, and he still didn't like when Sunrisk called his family a bunch old men.

"Ok... Lovely and Darling fell in love though their families already decided who they would marry... And..." Sunrisk let out a long sigh of boredom as he examined the assigned book in his hands. Sitting on Mutel's bed, he fell on his back and held the book above him, "Boring!!! This is nothing compared to racing my friends by the clouds an-"

_SMACK!_ A crimson book jet through the air and slammed against the side of Sunrisk's head. Instantly, the demon rose up in arms with his ears growing red just like they always did. He bared his fangs as he glared at his assailant with a goose egg growing. Yet, when he was about to open his mouth in vain, Mutel slightly turned in the desk's accompanied seat with a raised brow, waiting for him to say anything. Sunrisk clenched his hands tight, and his eyes transitioned into slits as he shot cold daggers. Then, defeated, he mumbled a few words of frustration before cracking open the classic human novel once more. He took back his earlier thoughts- he unquestionably and absolutely _didn't_ like his partner.

--

Author: Well, things got a little touchy in the beginning! Did you think I was going to go with the "E gasp, you touched my hand, I go blushy" cliché? How was _that_ for a twist, ha! Hope you enjoyed the series up until this point, and I look forward to your future patronage! (If you have some, that is.)


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